Premier losing credibility on COVID-19 testing

May 21, 2020

QUEEN’S PARK — Mike Schreiner released the following statement after the Premier’s press conference:

“It feels like Groundhog Day every time the Premier complains about low testing numbers.

The Premier must tell us why he felt confident pushing Ontario into Stage 1 reopening when our testing system simply wasn’t ready.

It’s a big problem if we’re still building the testing system after the doors to the economy have already been reopened.

The bottom line is that the Premier has allowed the streets to start filling up again without a proven testing and contact tracing system in place.

The plan for random and asymptomatic testing should have been announced before Stage 1.

We should already be maximizing our testing capacity on health care workers, food service workers, Uber drivers and crowded workplaces.

I again urge the Premier to deliver a clear provincial testing strategy and provide public health officers with the funding they need to hire and train staff for contact tracing.”

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